Confucian and Taoist Cultivation Starting from the Equipment Slot

"The pages of heaven and earth?" Upon hearing this, Song Zhiyuan frowned.

He never expected that he would receive concrete information about something that he thought only existed in word of mouth today from a great demon.

Then, he became even more excited. If it really was the Book of Heaven and Earth, its value would be immeasurable.

It could even make him famous throughout history.

Which scholar doesn't want to be remembered in history?

But could there really be pages of the Book of Heaven and Earth in this ruin?

"You mean the pages of the Book of Heaven and Earth?" Song Zhiyuan's tone carried a hint of doubt.

"Otherwise what?"

The phantom image of Elvis's cat head tilted slightly in the air.

His tone carried a faint, almost imperceptible smile.

"Scholar Song has been pursuing this historical site for eleven years. Surely he doesn't even know what he's pursuing?"

Song Zhiyuan did not respond to that sentence.

He turned around, facing the blue light pattern that was still slowly spreading across the mountain's surface, with his back to Elvis and to everyone in the stone fortress.

The hem of his robe was blown up by the mountain wind.

After a moment, he spoke, not in response to Elvis, but more like talking to himself.

"The pages of heaven and earth, the original carriers of the writing of heaven and earth."

It is not a projection carved on a stone tablet by later generations, nor a replica flowing through the cultural tradition.

It is the page that was imprinted on itself when this character was first created in the world.

The First Emperor collected all the characters in the world, forming the foundation for the Song of Righteousness, but he himself also admitted in the "Preface to the Collection of Characters":

"There must be relics left behind between heaven and earth, perhaps in the deep mountains, the deep sea, or the great marshes, places inaccessible to humankind."

In the 1200 years that followed, no more than five pages of the Book of Heaven and Earth were unearthed, and each of them triggered a major shift in literary and philosophical schools of thought.

The most recent discovery was four hundred years ago in the capital region, where a page with the character "理" (li, meaning principle) directly spurred the second revival of the imperial school of thought.

If there truly is an unrecorded page of the Book of Heaven and Earth in the Eastern Stone Domain, it means that there are not only literary and Daoist relics here that predate the Qin Dynasty, but also those from the time of the First Emperor.

It is more likely that it contains a script that has never been recorded before; it is neither a replica nor a rubbing, but possibly a genuine, original imprint.

Then he turned around and looked at Elvis.

Which page do you want?

The phantom of Elvis's cat head hung silently in the air, offering no immediate reply.

After a moment, the blurry, illusory image suddenly rippled.

"It is not a word that your human race has ever recorded."

My ancestor saw that word before; it was used in the core formation of the ruins.

But you humans don't recognize it because the First Emperor didn't collect it, and no one has discovered it in the next twelve hundred years.

It is a single character, not within any lineage of cultural transmission, nor within the scope of resonance of any written language.

My ancestors from the Ten Thousand Demons Palace accidentally entered this ruin during the Second Human-Demon War and left behind a notebook.

The notes mentioned this page: "A solitary page guards the central pivot; taking it will cause the formation to collapse, leaving it will seal the gate."

"So you didn't come here to break the seal."

Upon hearing this, Song Zhiyuan's voice suddenly turned cold.

"You're here to retrieve pages! These ruins are relics of an ancient civilization, not a place of inheritance left by your demon ancestors!"

Song Zhiyuan's voice was somewhat excited, and the surrounding literary atmosphere was palpable.

"It is true that the core of the sealing technique is a secret method of the demon race."

But that's because the ancient Wan Yao Palace had an alliance with the ancient civilization and was responsible for guarding the central ruins.

If we're really going to go by the rules, this might be the origin of human civilization.

"Rules?" Elvis chuckled, a hint of disdain in his voice.

"Old Song, you've been chasing these ruins for eleven years, and now you want to talk to me about rules?"

You don't even have a single piece of solid archaeological evidence. The entrance to the site hasn't been opened yet. Who owns what's inside is never determined by who came first, but by who can bring it back to the light of day.

"Without my demonic clan's secret technique to break the seal, this door will never open!"

Upon hearing Elvis Presley's statement, Song Zhiyuan immediately refuted it.

The value of the origin of literature and morality lies not in who can open the door, but in what is inside the door.

If this ruin truly contains unrecorded celestial script, then it is part of the history of human civilization, not the spoils of war of your demon race.

"The history of human civilization?"

Elvis's voice, unusually, lacked its usual relaxed laughter and instead carried a sharp, cold edge.

"When the First Emperor cast the Song of Righteousness, how many of the characters from heaven and earth, which he had taken from the demon race, did he use?"

Half of the origins of your human race's culture and traditions were built upon the corpses of the demon race.

Now you're talking to me about belonging?

Song Zhiyuan did not respond immediately.

The air between the two of them was as still as a frozen stone.

Just then, Zhou Wenyuan suddenly spoke up.

His voice returned to its previous calmness, no different from when he was reviewing official documents in the county government office.

"Let me say this: what you're arguing about is who is qualified for which page, but right now there's a more practical problem: none of us know what will happen after the relics are opened."

Elvis, did your ancestral notes mention anything about whether there would be an external energy impact if the relic's central core were triggered? How large would the impact be? How strong would it be?

"We're less than fifty li from Qingshan County. I can't gamble with the lives of everyone in the county."

He turned to Song Zhiyuan, "Dean Song, you are a scholar, you know that if you fail to capture a relic of this scale, the demons of the long night will be completely attracted by the light of the relic."

Will Qingshan County's cultural heritage be able to withstand the challenge then?

The phantom of Elvis shifted slightly.

"I'm just here to collect books. The Central Ruins are my target. I don't need to hurt anyone. Your county town is of no value to me."

As for the impact of the relic's energy, the defensive mechanisms left over from that time were not triggered. Taking the pages of the Book of Heaven and Earth would at most cause a brief overflow of relic energy, with a range not exceeding three miles, and would not affect the county town.

"Sanli".

Zhou Wenyuan repeated it, then turned to Song Zhiyuan and asked for his opinion.

Song Zhiyuan understood what he meant.

Once a historical site is discovered, it will definitely need a respected figure to endorse it.

Although Zhou Wenyuan is a genius, he doesn't have a strong backing.

And his teacher just happened to have the ability and background.

He then walked to the entrance of the stone fortress and looked at the blue light that was still spreading on the mountainside.

The terrain here is a fault zone intersection, and the mineral veins extend from the main peak to both sides.

He has stood here for eleven years, and he knows better than anyone else present how the skeleton of this mountain was broken down by the winds of history and yet has barely managed to hold on to this day.

Song Zhiyuan turned around and said to Elvis:

"After the pages of the Book of Heaven and Earth are taken away, there must be no further damage to the interior of the ruins."

Archaeological excavations outside the central location are conducted in accordance with the procedures of the Human Academy, with complete isolation and layered excavation, without the use of literary techniques to separate the excavation or the use of demonic secret methods to accelerate the process.

This is a strict rule, not a lack of trust. It's simply that all ancient relics should be treated this way. If you agree, we can continue our discussion.

The phantom of Elvis remained silent in the air for a moment.